This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-27557547

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Scottish independence: Cost of new bodies 'could be £1.5bn' Scottish independence: Row over start-up costs
(about 9 hours later)
The cost of setting up all the bodies needed in an independent Scotland could be £1.5bn, the UK Treasury has claimed. A row has broken out over the cost of setting up all of the public bodies needed in an independent Scotland.
It based the figure on research into the costs of setting up an independent state in Quebec, which have been estimated at 1% of GDP. It came after the UK Treasury published analysis which put the cost at £1.5bn.
The Treasury also said that the costs could be nearly twice as much, if based on London School of Economics research. It based the figure on research into the costs of setting up an independent state in Quebec, which were estimated at 1% of GDP.
The Scottish government said the analysis was "deeply flawed" as much of the infrastructure already exists. But Scotland's finance secretary accused the Treasury of releasing "false information".
The Treasury claimed Scottish ministers wanted to create 180 public bodies, which led the LSE to a figure of £2.7bn. He has written to the senior civil servant at the UK government department calling for an investigation into the matter.
Its research estimated the cost of setting up each new department at £15m. In its analysis, the Treasury said that the costs could be nearly twice as much as its own £1.5bn estimate, if based on London School of Economics research.
The Treasury said that, while it had used a more conservative figure in its own analysis, the £2.7bn costing was "reasonable". The Treasury claimed Scottish ministers wanted to create 180 public bodies, which led the LSE to a figure of £2.7bn based on each new department costing £15m.
It called on the Scottish government to publish its own estimates for how much it would cost to set up the organisations needed to run a country. The UK government department said that, while it had used a more conservative figure in its own analysis, the £2.7bn costing was "reasonable".
Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: "The Scottish government is trying to leave the UK but it won't tell anyone how much the set-up surcharge is for an independent Scotland." And it called on the Scottish government to publish its own estimates for how much it would cost to set up the organisations needed to run a country.
Pensions and passports Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: "The Scottish government is trying to leave the UK but it won't tell anyone how much the set-up surcharge is for an independent Scotland.
The Scottish government said it had never suggested that 180 public bodies would be needed. "As part of the UK, Scotland gains from a strong and stable tax and benefits system and our comprehensive analysis, published this week, sets out how much better off Scottish taxpayers are; that's why we're better off together."
Ministers also argued that start-up costs would be lower because they were planning to run a slimmed-down system. But the Scottish government said it had never suggested that 180 public bodies would be needed, and pointed out that the UK government only had 24 departments.
A spokesman for Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, more prosperous per head than the UK, France and Japan - but we need the powers of independence to ensure that wealth properly benefits everyone in our society. Ministers also argued that start-up costs would be lower because they were planning to run a slimmed-down system, with many of the required public bodies already existing in Scotland.
"This is deeply flawed analysis, underlined by the ludicrous and palpably false claim that an independent Scotland would need 180 government departments - something we have never claimed. 'Simple comparison'
"Much of the infrastructure needed for an independent country already exists, and Scottish taxpayers already pay their fair share for all devolved and reserved services - while Scotland also stands to inherit a fair share of joint assets, valued at around $1.3 trillion." In a letter to the Treasury's permanent secretary, Sir Nicholas MacPherson, Finance Secretary John Swinney wrote: "It is essential that the public can make a balanced judgement on the referendum debate.
If Scotland votes for independence, a number of current UK-wide bodies would need to be created in Scotland, including Scottish tax, pensions, passports, benefits, transport and regulatory bodies. "The misinformation presented in this publication places serious doubts over the accuracy of the full Treasury analysis expected later this week and previous Treasury works on Scotland becoming independent."
Mr Swinney continued: "A simple comparison with the 24 departments of the UK government shows how ludicrous the claim was.
"The Scottish government has no intention of creating 180 government departments or even 180 public bodies as was later claimed by UK government press officers and special advisers. There is no mention of this in the Scottish government's white paper Scotland's Future.
"I would appreciate urgent clarity from yourself as to whether this material was approved by you and on what basis and an explanation of how such blatantly false figures came to be presented to the media on behalf of the Treasury."
Mr Swinney's complaint came ahead of the publication of the Treasury's latest analysis on the costs of independence over a 20-year period from 2016 to 2035/36.